Kim Jong Il Loses North Korean Soccer Mom Demographic

According to the Daily NK’s various sources, Kim Jong Il has  banned  either some or all Japanese cars, after one of them broke down on the road and blocked his path.

So far, most of the middle-class North Koreans or low-ranking party officials have been using Japanese cars, whereas the richest riding Mercedes. Also, Korean-Japanese who immigrated into the North are fond of the cars they used to drive in Japan. So the number of Japanese-built cars is more than that of any other country. While still ordinary people could not even dream of possessing a Japanese car, the price of it has been significantly lowered since early 90s when smuggling of used automobiles from Japan through China began. These cheap, imported Japanese used cars are favorites of North Korea’s small-but-growing group of businesspeople.  In fact, Japanese used cars are the most beloved among North Korean people.   [Daily NK]

I know who we’re talking about here, but the pointless arbitrariness of this stretches credibility.  Kim Jong Il may be an impulsive tyrant, but he has always been very  conscious  about gifting  his ruling class with desireable consumer goods.   As the Daily NK notes, North Korea’s trains barely run these days, and this would be both difficult to enforce and a genuine harship for plenty of people.   Other than that, the super-rich have their Benzes, and then there are a few East-bloc leftovers sitting on blocks (put eet een “H,” Homer!).